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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584569">Find Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ana_s_Writings/pseuds/Ana_s_Writings'>Ana_s_Writings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Kidnapping, Minor Violence, Some Fluff, mentions of torture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:21:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584569</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ana_s_Writings/pseuds/Ana_s_Writings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a single parent isn't easy. To help him take care of Jack, Aaron hires Paige. But what will he do when the unthinkable happens? Will he ever recover?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’ve had it rough, there was no doubt about it. Losing his wife and the mother of his child that way wasn’t easy. Plus being the one that has the job to hunt people like the man that killed her and not being able to stop him, made everything worse.</p><p>Aaron knew it was time to move forward, and being a single father was definitely harder than he thought, given his job. He knew he needed help, so the logical step was to find someone to help him take care of Jack while he was away for work.</p><p>He found Paige through JJ. Paige had work for JJ before JJ’s husband moved to Washington and she had nothing but great things to say about her. Aaron trusted JJ and decided to hire Paige on a trial bases, just for a week, to see how Jack would connect with her. If he bonded with her, then Aaron would hire her on a more permanent basis.</p><p>A week became a month which quickly became a year and then three. And what was supposed to be just for when he had a case, soon became a full-time thing. Aaron didn’t realize how much she meant to them, until it was too late.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Out of Reach</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a typical Friday for Paige. Cleaning the house, running errands, going grocery shopping, all before having to pick up Jack from school after lunch. Jack didn’t have soccer practice that day, so she decided to treat him to some ice-cream before they went home to wait for his dad. Aaron had been out of town for the past couple of days on a case with his team and had called earlier to let her know that he was getting ready to get back home and that he had the weekend off. She knew Jack would be ecstatic at the news.</p><p>But for some reason she had been feeling restless all day. While she was out and about, she could swear that someone was following her, but as she’s pulling up to Jack’s school, she put those thoughts away so she could give all her attention to the little boy waiting for her. Jack was now nine years old and was incredibly smart and sweet. She couldn’t love him more even if he was her own child.</p><p>After greeting Jack and helping him to strap in his seatbelt, she made her way to their usual ice-cream parlor. The little boy told her about his day, feeling happy that his dad was home for the weekend, which made Paige smile.</p><p>She knew how much Aaron loved his son, and vice-versa, and the same went for her. Within the three years she had been with them, both Jack and Aaron had conquered a special place in her heart and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for them.</p><p>They got to the ice-cream parlor and, while Jack ordered his favorite ice-cream, Paige couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that they were being watched. Looking around, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but the feeling persisted. She could feel that there was something wrong.</p><p>As Paige is walking down the street with Jack holding her hand, her eyes kept scanning everyone they passed by, trying to detect any threat before anything would happen, something Aaron had taught her. But a split second of distraction was all it took.</p><p>She had stopped right next to an alley to help Jack clean his hands, when a white van parked in front of them and they were both pulled inside. Paige screamed, trying to get someone’s attention, but the door closed and they speeded off before anyone took notice of what had happened. She tried fighting back, trying to at least get Jack out of the van, but was met with the barrel of a gun and a sharp pain before slowly blacking out, hearing Jack cry out for her.</p><p>Paige woke up a while later. Looking around the room she was in, her eyes struggling to adjust to the light, she took notice of her surroundings: she was in an abandoned warehouse, tied up to a chair in the middle of the room, with a camera connected to a computer on a table in front of her. There was some scuffling to her side and when she looked over, she saw Jack tied up and with a rag in his mouth, same as her.</p><p>
  
</p><p>She tried to get to him, but the bindings were tight and all she could do was try and calm the boy with her eyes. He was terrified and, if she were to be honest, so was she. She looked him over and saw that, aside from being tied up, Jack was fine, there wasn’t a scratch on him.</p><p>She had no idea who would do something like that or who they even were or what they wanted, but there was something she knew. When Aaron realizes they’re missing, he will do everything he can to find them. All she has to do is keep both Jack and herself alive until he can find them. No matter what.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Helpless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Penelope was starting to gather her things to grab something to eat when she received an e-mail from an unknown sender. Thinking it was strange, she opened and saw a web link. She didn’t know what that was all about, but she had a bad feeling about it, so she decided to click on it and what she saw made her gasp in panic. In front of her was a live stream of Paige tied to a chair in an empty room and Jack on the floor to the side, also tied up.</p><p>She made quick work and connected with the team on the plane, while trying to track from where the stream was being sent as well as recording it. Penelope didn’t know how she was gonna tell her boss what she was seeing but she had to tell him.</p><p>- “Garcia? Is everything okay?” – Morgan asked her, seeing her on their screens on the jet and noticing the panic in her face.</p><p>- “No, not at all. Boss, there’s something you need to see.” – And with that, she patched the live stream to the screens of the jet.</p><p>As soon as the image came through, gasps were heard all around, but Aaron didn’t pay them any attention. He was in shock. He heard Morgan ask if that was live and Garcia answering that it was. Looking closer at the video, he saw that Jack was okay, albeit being tied up and gagged, but that Paige had a small trail of blood coming down from one side of her forehead.</p><p>The team heard footsteps and was then they realized that the video had sound. Two masked men walked on frame but only one stayed there. Taking the rag that was used as a gag out of her mouth, he told Paige to tell the camera who she was and what was her connection to Aaron. When she glared at him, he showed her the blade he had in his hand and pointed it towards Jack.</p><p>Paige spoke to the camera, saying what he wanted her to say, as coldly as she possibly could, before asking him what he wanted. His answer made everyone’s blood run cold. All he wanted was to make Aaron hurt. She pleaded with him to at least let Jack go, after all he was just a child, and that he could do whatever he wanted with her. She knew that wasn’t going to happen when he laughed in response.</p><p>The man with the blade turned towards the camera and spoke directly to Aaron, telling him that all that was about to happen to her was his fault and that there was nothing he could do to stop him. And then he said the one thing that no one wanted to hear and that they all feared, Paige included. He told them that once he was done with Paige and she was dead, that he would do the same exact thing to Jack.</p><p>And with that, he approached Paige while spinning the blade in his hand. The team heard Paige tell Jack to close his eyes and not open them until she told him to, to which they saw the boy obeying quickly. Once the man was close to her, he took the blade and started making cuts along her arms and body, making sure to avoid any major vessels.</p><p>Everyone was expecting to hear Paige scream when he started cutting her, but she didn’t make a sound. Instead, she looked straight ahead, almost as if she was looking right at them. The more the man cut, the more focused she got, almost as if she weren’t there.</p><p>The team was furious, but no one as much as Aaron. When the man started cutting, Aaron got up and walked to the back of the plane, where he proceeded to punch the cabinets until he was stopped by Morgan and Rossi. He had tears in his eyes when he said to them that he couldn’t lose Paige and Jack. He couldn’t go through that again, to which Rossi made him a promise. That they would save them, no matter what they had to do to make sure that both Paige and Jack would come home safe.</p><p>The day went long and soon turned into night. The live stream would end after an hour, only to restart two hours later. It was always the same: Paige on the chair; two unsubs walking in, with one disappearing behind the camera; the one that remained then would start torturing Paige, not asking any questions, just taunting Aaron with each cut, punch or slap he would inflict on her; all the while Jack remained in the same place, his eyes glued shut just as Paige had told him and whimpering at the sounds coming from his side.</p><p>After the second stream, Aaron excused himself and refused to continue watching. He couldn’t bear hearing his son crying or seeing Paige being hurt because of him. He did notice something tho, when the second stream began. Her original wounds seemed to be had been treated and some even had been dressed and neither her nor Jack had their gags on. That was something that the team was seeing as the hours went along and the streams would restart. Their best guess was that they wanted to prolong this as much as they could.</p><p>In between streams, the team would try and figure out who the unsubs were and where they could possibly be. Everyone was frustrated, they didn’t have much to go on with and even Garcia was having a hard time tracing the stream to the original source. But none was as frustrated or as mad as Aaron. He tried to think of anyone who could do something like this, but unfortunately, due to his job, that list was long.</p><p>He was in his office, trying to calm himself down before going to the conference room to ask for an update when Rossi came to see him. When Rossi told him that they were stuck and that all they had was that she had been taken after going for ice-cream with Jack, he finally broke. Clearing his desk with one quick and angry move, he fell to his knees crying. He felt Rossi’s hand on his shoulder, letting him know that he was there for him and when he looked up to the older man, he saw that Rossi had tears of his own in his eyes.</p><p>Aaron realized then that this wasn’t affecting just him. It was affecting his team as well. They had been there three years before when he lost Haley and, when he hired Paige, she had helped them all to move forward. Sure, it wasn’t as hard for them as it was for Aaron, but they still knew and cared about Haley, not to mention they had all “adopted” Jack as their own, so when Paige came along, she helped them too, to the point where she became good friends with all of them. So, it had to be hard for them to see their friend go through all of that.</p><p>Aaron stood up and hugged Rossi, both men needing the comfort of a friend in that moment. He then decided that he needed to get himself together and help his team find Paige and Jack and to bring them home in one piece. There had to be something they were missing, and he was going to make sure they would find it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Breathe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After what had felt like days but really had only been an hour, the men ended another stream and left Paige. She was hurting, blood covered her body, and she was sure she must’ve had some broken ribs, by the way it hurt when she breathed. Looking to her side, she saw Jack with his eyes still shut. She didn’t want him to see her like that, so she told him that everything was okay, but that she needed him to keep his eyes closed. The boy agreed and asked her, in the smallest voice she had ever heard from him, if they were going to be okay. Paige told him that they were going to be fine, even tho she wasn’t sure if that was true.</p><p>Paige heard footsteps behind her and knew what was coming. She saw the man that usually stayed behind the camera approach her, with his first aid bag in his hand. Paige knew why he was there, to patch her up as he’s been doing after every stream, and if the care he took when doing it was any indication, she was almost certain that he wasn’t completely on board with all the things the other man was doing.</p><p>He kneeled by her side, pulling out a bottle of water and placing it by her mouth so she could drink from it. Paige took a sip and asked if he could give the rest to Jack. The man nodded and slid towards the boy giving him the water. When the man returned to her side, she decided to strike up a conversation with him, trying to get as many information as possible.</p><p>- “Thank you.” – She told him, trying to sound as sincere as possible.</p><p>- “For what?”</p><p>- “For the water and for dressing my wounds. Can I ask something?”</p><p>- “You can ask, doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”</p><p>- “Why are you doing this? I mean, your partner I get. He has some kind of vendetta against Hotch, but why are you doing it? You don’t seem like the type of person that does this kind of stuff and I could swear you don’t agree with him when he does certain things.” – Paige knew she needed to keep him calm, so she spoke in the softest voice possible.</p><p>- “You don’t know what agent Hotchner did to my brother and me, how he made us suffer. We lost someone because of him. You’re right. My brother has a vendetta against him, and I don’t agree with certain things, but agent Hotchner needs to learn his actions have consequences.”</p><p>- “I understand. But don’t you think there are better ways to do this?”</p><p>- “This is the only way.”</p><p>- “I’m sure that’s not true. Either way, do you really believe that putting a child through this is the right way of doing things? I don’t believe that. Look, just get him out of here. Your brother doesn’t need to know it was you. Just loosen his restraints and he’ll do the rest. Please, he’s just a child.”</p><p>- “I’m sorry. I-I can’t…” – He answered, just before they heard footsteps coming in the room.</p><p>The caretaker’s brother walked in and told him it was time for a new stream. The man protested, saying that it hadn’t been two hours, but his brother didn’t care. He wanted to make Aaron despair by hurting her sooner than what was supposed. Paige steeled herself for what was coming, knowing that she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to keep from screaming. She needed those two hours to relax her body and get ready for what was to come, but with so little time, she wasn’t sure she would be able to keep quiet. But on a more encouraging note, she now knew that they were brothers and that was valuable information. All she needed to do was find a way to tell the team.</p><p>The caretaker reluctantly picked up his things and walked to the computer, while his brother stood next to Paige. She took deep breaths and steeled herself for what was coming, which by the wicked look of the blade he had in his hand was going to hurt like hell.</p><p>The team was standing around the conference room, going back and forth with their theories when the stream began. They were confused, after all it had been not even a full hour since the last stream, so they weren’t sure of why it was starting again.</p><p>The stream went as expected, just as it had been since that whole thing started. Only this time, they could hear Paige whimper from time to time. It was clear to them then that whatever trick Paige was using to keep from screaming wasn’t working this time around.</p><p>Every time that Paige would whimper, Aaron would flinch, with tears gathering in his eyes, and the guilt building up in his chest, to the point of almost suffocating him. Part of him was grateful that Jack seemed to be untouched. But another part of him wanted nothing more than rip the man apart for what he was doing to Paige.</p><p>Eventually the torture ended and both men walked out. But the stream didn’t end. Paige could see the red light still blinking and that gave her hope. It made sense then the little nod that the caretaker had given her before leaving. He was trying to help her the only way he could. By leaving the stream on, he was giving her a chance, at the very least, to get Jack out of there alive.</p><p>- “I don’t know if you guys are still there, but I sure as hell hope so. This is what I know so far. We’re in an abandoned warehouse. I don’t know where exactly, but I can hear trains passing by and the occasional horn. The building has exposed brick walls and we’re in a large, but not to large, room. It has a fireplace and it’s definitely run down. There’s various kinds of debris on the floor, which tells me it has been abandoned for a long time.”</p><p>“They’re brothers. They’re definitely connected to Aaron, how I’m not sure, but it’s somehow related to the BAU. They lost someone, so I’m guessing it has something to do with one of your cases. The older brother, let’s call him Pain, really hates Aaron. He’s the one you should really worry about. By the way he holds the blades and is so precise with the cuts, plus the way he punches, I’m sure he has a record. No one learns to cut and hit like that unless it’s for their own survival or maybe he’s just a psychopath, I don’t know.”</p><p>“Jack’s okay. The other man, let’s call him Caretaker, has been feeding him and giving him water. He’s also the one who has been treating my wounds, making sure they don’t get infected. I’m trying to convince him to let Jack go, but I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to, so you need to find us. I’ll spare you guys my list of injures, just know that I’ll try to hang on for as long as I can. There’s no way in hell I’m gonna let that son of a… gun touch Jack, you can count on that.”</p><p>“One last thing. And this is for you Aaron. No matter what happens, this is not on you. I know you’re probably blaming yourself, but believe me when I tell you, this is not on you. They made this decision. They were the ones that decided to kidnap us and do this to me. Just promise me you’ll find us and that you’ll take Jack home. That’s all I want. I’m gonna sleep now, I’m exhausted and if I’m gonna give Pain hell, I need to get some rest. See you on the flip side.” – And with that, Paige gave them a broken smile and a wink, before telling Jack to get some sleep and that everything was going to be okay.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It has been two days since Paige and Jack were taken. The schedule remained the same, every two hours, she would suffer an hour of torture. And it was taking its toll on her. She was starting to feel weaker and she knew she wouldn’t last must longer, still she tried to hold on, for Jack’s sake.</p><p>Another stream had ended, and it was time for the Caretaker to come in and patch her up once again. Paige knew she only had one more chance at getting Jack out of there. She needed to try again, just like she as been doing for the past couple of days.</p><p>- “Please, I don’t care what your brother does to me. But please, get Jack out. He’s just a child and has been through so much. Please, let him go.” – Paige begged, almost out of breath, with tears in her eyes.</p><p>- “You really care about that boy, don’t you?”</p><p>- “I love him as if he’s my own son. Please.”</p><p>- “If I get him out, will he know what to do?” – The Caretaker asked, seeing the love for Jack clear in her eyes.</p><p>- “Yes, he will. Hotch taught him. We both did. All you have to do is loosen his restraints enough for him to free himself and he’ll do the rest.”</p><p>- “Alright. But you’ll have to hang on a little while longer. After the next stream, we are going out for food and other supplies. I’ll patch you up before we leave and while I do that, I’ll loosen his restraints. My brother will be busy getting the car ready, so he won’t come back until it’s time for another stream. You do realize that as soon as he sees the kid is gone, he will take it out on you?”</p><p>- “I know. I can take it. Don’t worry about me, just make sure he can get free.”</p><p>- “Alright, I’ll do it. You’re one though lady, let me tell you.” – He said, before gathering his things and leaving.</p><p>A renewed sense of hope filled Paige’s chest. Knowing that there was a chance that Jack could get away, she was more resolute than ever to endure whatever torture was coming her way. Now, all she had to do was focus on keeping Pain unaware of their plan.</p><p>Paige told Jack the plan and that as soon as they were gone, he needed to run and find help. Jack didn’t want to leave her, but she was adamant that he had to. He was going to be the one to save her as soon as he could find someone to help him and he could call his dad. Jack agreed but was still not happy with leaving Paige behind.</p><p>The two hours flew by and soon was time for another stream. Paige took everything that Pain was doing to her and didn’t make a sound. She felt like she could pass out at any minute, but she kept it together, focusing on Jack’s pending escape. Whenever Pain wasn’t looking, she even dared to smile at the camera, now having a little secret of her own.</p><p>In the conference room of the BAU, everyone was watching the stream and trying to get all the clues that they could, when Prentiss noticed Paige smiling. Pointing it out to the team, at first, they thought she must’ve been giving up after all that time, but Aaron knew better. Looking closely at her face, he saw the same smile he had seen a hundred times before.</p><p>- “She’s got a secret.” – Aaron spoke up, getting closer to the big screen, trying to figure out what it might be.</p><p>- “How do you know, Hotch?” – Morgan asked him.</p><p>- “Because that’s the smile she gives me and Jack every time she’s hiding something. A surprise, a gift at Christmas, things like that. I must’ve seen that smile a hundred times in the past three years. Trust me. She’s hiding something from Pain. And is related to Jack. See how she keeps glancing at him and smiling? Her secret is about Jack.”</p><p>- “Do you think she finally convinced the Caretaker to release Jack?”</p><p>- “I don’t know, but if she did and Jack escapes, he’ll know what to do. After what happened with Haley, I wanted to make sure that Jack knew what to do when in a situation like this. So, if he does escape, he’ll do what we taught him.”</p><p>- “By the way she’s openly smiling at the camera, my best guess is that the Caretaker must be helping her, then. She wouldn’t risk him asking her why she was smiling at the camera if that wasn’t the case.” – Rossi mused, knowing that Paige would never risk Jack’s well-being just to send them a message.</p><p>- “You can stop calling them Caretaker and Pain. I found them. Their names are Sean, aka Pain, and Caleb, aka Caretaker, Porter. And they’re from Springfield, Missouri. We had a case there about a year ago, and the person they lost was their psychopath of a father. Boss, you killed him when he tried to slit the throat of a little girl when he found himself cornered by the BAU and the local police.” – Garcia dumped the information on them all at once, knowing that they now were one step closer to finding Paige and Jack.</p><p>- “I remember that case. The brothers weren’t happy with their father’s death and I remember them blaming us for it. Why are they targeting Aaron alone? We were all there.” – JJ asked.</p><p>- “I guess they found out I was the one who pulled the trigger and decided to take their anger out on me. It makes sense.” – Aaron told her, now knowing why he was on the verge of losing Paige and Jack.</p><p>Aaron now knew who the unsubs were and how they were connected to him, that would make find them that much easier. Add all the info that Paige managed to give them about her location, and he could feel they were getting closer to bring them home.</p><p>The stream ended and Paige knew it was time. Caleb walked in a few minutes later and began his routine of patching her up, while sending glances at the opening behind her. He had been done for a while, just taking his time, and once he saw the coast was clear, he slid over to Jack loosening his restraints.</p><p>Telling Jack that everything was okay and that it was time, Paige tried to keep her fear at bay, reassuring the boy that he could do it. Jack waited and when Paige told him to run, after hearing their car driving away, the little boy freed himself and opened his eyes. She saw the look of shock in his eyes at her appearance, but edged him on to start running, to which he complied.</p><p>All Paige could do now was wait and hope that Jack could make it out safely and find help. Giving in to her injuries and strained body, she aloud blackness to overcome her.</p><p>Jack ran as fast as he could towards the train tracks, just as Paige had told him. He needed to find someone, he needed to get to his dad and help Paige. Jack ran until he saw a police car and waved them down, knowing they would help him. He was already far away from the warehouse but he memorized everything that he could so he could help his dad find Paige.</p><p>Aaron heard his phone ringing and was half tempted to just let it ring, but when he saw the caller id, he had a feeling he needed to answer that call. Picking up his phone from the conference room table, Aaron answered it and even before he could say a word, he heard his son’s voice on the other end.</p><p>A look of relief washed over his face and it wasn’t unnoticed by his team. They all saw how Aaron had tears in his eyes and how he even smiled at his phone. When they heard him say his son’s name, it was clear to them that Jack had been able to escape.</p><p>After talking to a police officer, Aaron disconnected the call and told the team that Jack was safe and that a police officer was bringing him in. They all sighed with relief, but they all knew it wasn’t over, they still had to rescue Paige.</p><p>Not even forty-five minutes after the call, and the team saw Jack running through the bullpen and into his father’s arms. They felt the same relief as Aaron when he finally had his son with him, but then a question popped into all of their minds. What did that mean for Paige? For sure Sean Porter wasn’t going to be happy that Jack had escaped, so what was he going to do about it? They needed to hurry and find Paige fast, before it was too late.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Are You There?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After talking to Jack and with Garcia’s help, the team managed to narrow down where Paige could be. Showing photos of the surroundings of all the buildings to Jack, he was able to tell them exactly which one it was. It was then they realized that she was on the other side of town and that it was gonna take them a while to get there.</p><p>Just as they’re about to leave, a new stream began, and they were frozen in place. Paige looked like a train had ran her over. It was clear by Sean’s voice that he wasn’t happy that Jack had managed to escape, and that he had taken out his anger on Paige. Telling Aaron that he could keep his son, his next words cut like a knife through Aaron’s heart. Sean was going to make sure that he had a good time with her before they could find her or them.</p><p>Aaron, followed closely by his team, ran to the car and speeded through town in the hope that he could get there in time. Through their earpieces, they could all hear what Sean was doing to Paige, how she now was openly screaming in pain, since she didn’t need to protect Jack anymore.</p><p>Everyone had tears in their eyes, hearing their friend going through all of that. And just as it started, it ended. They heard Garcia say that the stream was still going and that she could see that both men were gone, leaving Paige alone and whimpering, Garcia choking up at the sight in front of her.</p><p>It was then they heard Paige’s voice.</p><p>- “I don’t know if anyone can hear me, but I hope so. Even if you can’t, it’s nice to think that I’m not completely alone. I know you guys are doing your best to find me, but I’m afraid you are gonna be too late. The damage is extensive, and I know I won’t make it unless I get help. Since that’s not gonna happen, all I can do is hope it will be quick.”</p><p>“Don’t blame yourselves for not being here on time. It’s okay. I never expected to get out of this alive anyway. All I wanted was for Jack to be safe and to get a chance at going home, and I got that. I’m sure that he was able to find someone to help him get back to Aaron. I have to believe that.”</p><p>“Now, don’t cry or be angry that this happened. It’s done and I’ve made my peace with it. Just promise me that you’ll be there for each other and that you’ll move forward. Life is too short to hold onto resentment or regrets.”</p><p>“I can feel my body fading, which means that it’s time to wrap things up. Aaron, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you and Jack have to go through this again. I wished I had fought harder, been more vigilante, maybe if I had, I wouldn’t be in this mess and wouldn’t had put Jack in danger. Aaron don’t blame yourself. If you wanna blame someone, blame me. Please tell Jack that I love him and that I’ll be looking down on him.”</p><p>“One more thing. I love you. I love you with all my heart. I just wish I had been strong enough to tell you while there was still time. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Paige opened her heart completely, even saying things she swore she would never say out loud, when she finally felt the blackness take over her once more. She was sure this was it, the last time she would close her eyes, so she smiled at the thought of finally being at peace.</p><p>No one dared say anything. Everyone was in shock, with tears in their eyes as they heard their good friend say her goodbyes and Aaron openly crying. Rossi was the only one who heard Aaron whispering a quiet “I love you” and he knew that, if they couldn’t get to Paige in time, that Aaron would never recover.</p><p>Approaching the warehouse, the team made quick work clearing the space. Coming down a set of stairs, Morgan and JJ were the first ones to find Paige. Clearing the room, they called for the medics as well as Aaron.</p><p>Paige was unconscious but still breathing, which was cause for hope, even if her pulse was weak. Aaron couldn’t stop his tears from falling as he saw the paramedics treat her, hoping against hope that she would be okay. The paramedics loaded Paige on the ambulance and Aaron followed suit, not wanting to leave her side.</p><p>Aaron sat in the hospital waiting room, along with Jack and his team. They hadn’t found the Porter brothers, but in that moment, they all wanted to make sure that Paige was going to be okay. Aaron above all.</p><p>The doctor walked in and they immediately knew something was wrong just by the look on his face. Aaron got up and asked the doctor how Paige was doing. The doctor told him that Paige was alive but that she had lost too much blood and that she had slipped into a coma, and he didn’t know when or if she would wake up. It was up to her to fight her way back. With that, the doctor left, but not before telling them that a nurse would come by once Paige was settled in and take them to see her.</p><p>Aaron wanted to scream, to curse the heavens above, to punch something, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to keep it together for Jack’s sake. He could see how heartbroken the little boy was, knowing that Paige wouldn’t wake anytime soon.</p><p>JJ walked up to him and told him that, once Jack saw Paige, her husband, Will, would pick him up and take him to their house and take care of him. Aaron was grateful to her. He knew that Jack would be safe with Will and that he would have JJ’s sons to keep him company.</p><p>The nurse came by and lead Aaron and Jack to Paige’s room. Once inside, Aaron looked at Paige and thought she looked so peaceful. Jack grabbed her hand and started to tell her that he did it. He got to his dad and got her out. That he helped save her, just like she had said, while tears streamed down his face.</p><p>It broke Aaron’s heart seeing his son like that. He knew that neither of them would recover if they were to lose Paige. He could only hope that she still had some fight in her and that she would wake up. That was all he could think about as he held her hand, letting her know that he was there.</p><p>Now, all they could do was wait for her to wake up and hunt down the men that did that to her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Everyone Deserves To Be Happy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>- “Hello, Paige.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Haley?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “It’s nice to finally meet you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “You too. Where am I? Am I dead?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “No. You’re in a coma, Paige. You lost a lot of blood, so your body, as a way to protect itself, shutdown.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Will I wake up?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “If you want to. It’s all up to you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “I want to. I want to see Jack and Aaron again.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “You’re doing a great job with him. With Jack I mean. Well, Aaron too.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “I’m trying, Haley.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “You know he loves you, right?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Jack? I know and I love him too.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “No, not Jack. Well, Jack loves you too, but I’m talking about Aaron.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “What?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Don’t tell me you haven’t notice. Sweetheart, have you been using blinders for the past two years?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “I-I…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Paige, the man is in love with you. And I know you’re in love with him too. Which makes me happy. He’s a good man, Paige, and you both deserve to be happy. I’m happy you found each other.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Really?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Of course. All I want is for both Aaron and Jack to be happy, and you make them happy.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Thank you, Haley. That means a lot.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “Now, rest and when you feel ready, all you have to do is open your eyes and start a new life with our sweet boys. Just do me a favor. Tell Jack I love him and that I’m always here.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- “I will, Haley. Thank you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Paige watched as Haley smiled at her as she walked away. She could feel a sense of peace wash over her and she knew it was Haley’s way of letting her know she will be okay. For now, she was going to follow her advice and rest.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Don't Leave Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After hearing from the doctor that Paige was going to survive but was in a coma, the team left Aaron and Jack at the hospital and made their way back to the office, with Will already at the waiting room prepared to take Jack with him when Aaron was ready. They still had to catch the Porter brothers and they were determined to do so.</p><p>Arriving at the BAU, they each dug into the brothers’ files, trying to figure out where they would go next. They were sure that Sean was feeling confident, thinking that he had finished the job, so what could possible be his next step. Would they go home, or would they stay in town hoping to catch a glimpse of Aaron’s pain?</p><p>Aaron walked in the conference room a while later, and the team told him what had been done and what they were discussing. Roadblocks, tracking credit cards and bank accounts, Garcia trying to hack into the computer from where the streams were being broadcast, every single theory, nothing was held back.</p><p>Aaron’s phone started ringing and, at first, he ignored it. But when it started ringing again, he checked the caller id, and recognized the number as being the same that had called him about Jack. Picking up, he was wondering why they would be calling him again.</p><p>A detective was on the other side and told him something he wasn’t sure he heard correctly. Apparently, they had a man in custody that wanted to surrender but only to him. When Aaron asked what the name of the man was, he was stunned to hear the name Caleb Porter.</p><p>According to the detective, Caleb would only speak to Aaron and no one else. Aaron told him that Caleb was wanted for kidnapping and assault and to not let him out of his sight, that he was on his way. Hanging up, he told his team what had happened and left with Rossi and Morgan to get Caleb and find out where his brother was.</p><p>At the police station, Caleb was sitting in an interrogation room, being asked a million questions by a detective but not answering any of them. He would only talk to agent Hotchner and there was nothing the detective could say or do to make him change his mind.</p><p>Aaron got to the station and was led to the interrogation room where Caleb was waiting. Looking at Caleb, he saw the young man was nervous. He needed to know why Caleb was so adamant in talking to him.</p><p>- “Mr. Porter. I’m SSA Hotchner. I’m told you want to speak with me.”</p><p>- “Is she okay? The lady?” – Aaron was taken back by the sincerity in Caleb’s voice when asking about Paige.</p><p>- “Why?”</p><p>- “Look, I know what we did wasn’t right. I even fought with my brother about it. Why do you think I’m here? I never wanted things to go this far. The whole plan was to just scare you by taking them, it was never to hurt them. But my brother, he… He wanted you to feel the same pain we felt when you killed our dad. Please, just tell me she’s okay.”</p><p>- “She’s in a coma.” – Aaron wasn’t sure why he told him the truth, there was something in him that, for some reason, believed Caleb.</p><p>- “She’s a though lady, she’ll wake up. And she really loves your son. Every time I would go and treat her wounds, she would ask me to let him go. I guess that’s why I did it. Seeing how much she loves that kid, reminded me of our mother and of how much she loved us. She would be so ashamed of us for what we did. Listen, I’ll tell you all you want to know, even where you can find my brother. I just want one thing in return.”</p><p>- “And what that might be? A deal?”</p><p>- “No. I deserve everything I have coming. All I want is to apologize to the lady. Please, let me write her a letter apologizing and I’ll tell you everything. I’ll sign whatever you want, if you give me your word that you’ll give her my letter. You can even wait until the end of my trial to give it to her. Do we have a deal, agent Hotchner?”</p><p>- “Deal. Now, where is your brother?”</p><p>Within the next two hours, Aaron had both Porter brothers in custody and an apology letter in his pocket. His team was taking care of all the paperwork and Jack was still at JJ’s house, all so he could have a moment alone with Paige.</p><p>Sitting on a chair next to her bed, Aaron held Paige’s hand and caressed it with his thumb, while his head was laying on the bed. He wished she would wake up and he could tell her all that was on his mind. He heard a nurse coming in to check on her and he lifted his head.</p><p>- “How is she?” – He asked the nurse, hoping there had been some kind of change while he had been gone.</p><p>- “Her vitals are good and strong, but her condition hasn’t changed.”</p><p>- “Thank you.”</p><p>- “She can hear you, you know?”</p><p>- “I’m sorry?”</p><p>- “Miss Williams, she can hear you. It’s believed that people in a coma can hear what is happening around them, even if they can’t answer. It has helped a lot of patients to wake up by listening to their loved ones talking to them. You should try.” – And with that, the nurse left, giving him an encouraging smile.</p><p>Aaron didn’t know where to begin or if he should even do it at all, but something inside of him told him that he needed to give it a shot.</p><p>- “I don’t know if you can hear me, but the nurse says you can, so here goes nothing. Jack’s okay. He’s worried about you, but he’s okay. When he ran, he found a police car and, after calling me, they took him to me. He helped us find you, Paige. You’d be so proud of him.”</p><p>“We found the men that hurt you. The one that cleaned your wounds and freed Jack, he gave himself up at a police station and told us where we could find his brother. He had one request, but we can talk about that when you wake up.”</p><p>“When you wake up… You have to wake up, Paige. We can’t do this without you… I can’t do this without you. I don’t want to. Please, wake up. Jack misses you; I miss you. Please, I heard what you said. And I need you to know that I love you too. I have loved you for the past two years, but I have been so scared to tell you, because I didn’t know if you felt the same. Please, come back to us. Come back to me.”</p><p>A few tears fell on his hand. He couldn’t hold on any longer. Letting all of his fear and frustration out, Aaron cried until he had no more tears left. There was nothing he could do now, other than wait for Paige to come back to him and, hopefully, give a chance at the two of them to have something together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two weeks. Two weeks of exams, visits from friends, from Jack. Two weeks of talking to her every day, hoping and praying that she would wake up and he could see the beautiful smile that slowly had made him fall in love with her.</p><p>It was just another day in Paige’s room. Aaron was sitting on a chair next to her bed, with Jack laying next to her in bed, hearing the little boy tell her about his day at JJ’s house. Aaron would smile at his son, seeing him caressing Paige’s face, trying to gently wake her.</p><p>Suddenly, he heard his son gasp and call for him. Worried that something was wrong, Aaron got up quickly and approached the bed, asking Jack what was wrong. The little boy’s answer made him hold his breath, just for a second.</p><p>Jack had been caressing Paige’s forehead when he noticed her eyes fluttering. Looking closely from her side, he saw her open and then shutting her eyes quickly. That was when he called out to his dad, but Paige hadn’t opened her eyes since.</p><p>At first Aaron thought it had been wishful thinking on his son part, but he needed to know if he was right or not. Holding her hand in his, he asked her to squeeze his hand if she could hear him. Nothing happened at first, but with a little encouragement from him and Jack, he felt Paige squeezing his hand ever so softly.</p><p>He couldn’t stop the tears from gathering in his eyes when he felt it. Pressing the call button to get a nurse, he started encouraging Paige to open her eyes. The nurse came in and asked what was happening. After telling her everything, she started talking to Paige and giving her a serious of commands, which she followed.</p><p>Leaving the room, the nurse went to get Paige’s doctor, who, as soon as he came in the room, asked Aaron and Jack to leave the room so he could examine her. They left and Aaron got on the phone and called his team to let them know that Paige was waking up.</p><p>It took a while before the doctor was satisfied with his exam and as soon as he opened the door of Paige’s room, Aaron was right there asking him if everything was okay. The smile on the doctor’s face was unmistakable, Paige was going to be fine.</p><p>Jack ran inside and jumped upon the bed and hugged Paige as hard as he could. She could hardly believe it. He made it out and had been able to help them save her. She had tears running down her face as she held the little boy in her arms.</p><p>Aaron leaned against the wall and didn’t interfere. They both needed that. He had time, now that he knew that she was going to be okay. Yes, he had time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. At Last</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as they got the call that Paige was awake, everyone had made their way to the hospital. Aaron couldn’t stop smiling. Seeing his team there was just more proof of how important Paige was to not only him and Jack, but to the whole team as well.</p><p>Watching everyone happy that she was back, Aaron felt his heart burst. They were his family and they had been there for him multiple times, the same way he had been there for them. He wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.</p><p>Being pulled from his thoughts by his son’s voice, he looked down and saw Jack saying he was hungry. Excusing himself, he held the boy’s hand and walked him to the cafeteria to get something to eat.</p><p>Taking advantage that Aaron wasn’t in the room with them, Rossi spoke up.</p><p>- “You know, he hasn’t left the room since you were admitted.”</p><p>- “I don’t… What are you talking about Rossi?”</p><p>- “Aaron. He has been here for the past two weeks. He hasn’t left your side, kiddo. Jack’s been staying with JJ and he’s been here. We bring him clothes and food because he refuses to leave your side.”</p><p>Paige didn’t get a chance to answer. As she’s about to, Aaron came back with Jack. Everyone took it as their cue to leave. Saying their goodbyes and promising to visit her the next day, one by one left, JJ being the last one, taking Jack with her.</p><p>They were all alone. Paige had no idea what to say to Aaron. She didn’t know if he heard her when she told him that she was in love with him and if he did, how felt about it. Looking down at her hands, unable to look at him, she waited for him to say something.</p><p>- “I heard you.”</p><p>- “What?” – He had spoken so quietly that she hadn’t been able to hear him.</p><p>- “I heard you. The last stream, I heard you.”</p><p>- “Oh, you did?” – She was now blushing like mad, not sure if it was a good thing or not.</p><p>- “Yeah, I did.”</p><p>- “And?”</p><p>- “And… I love you too. I’ve been in love with you for the past two years, Paige. I just never said anything because I was scared that you didn’t feel the same and I couldn’t lose you. Jack would never forgive me.”</p><p>- “Where does that leave us now?” – She was terrified, happy but terrified at the same time.</p><p>- “Well, if you’re up to it, there’s nothing I want more than to be you, Paige. If you’re willing to take a chance on us, then I promise that I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”</p><p>And with those words, he slowly leaned in and kissed her softly. Paige kissed him back, knowing that from that moment on there would be nothing to stop them from being happy. Now was time to recover, both physically and mentally, as well as to build this new relationship. Only time will tell if they were going to make it or not, but she wasn’t worried. She was gonna take her time and enjoy her new found happiness next to Aaron and Jack. Something she has been wanting for so long.</p>
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